Tight coiler for metal strip and method of coiling



April 2-, 1940. E, HW RTH 2,196,091

TIGHT COILER FOR METAL STRIP AND METHOD OF COILING Filed Oct. 11, 1937 INVENTOR. JAMES .E.A$HWORTH.

BY flizemqw ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TIGHT COILER FOR METAL STRIP AND METHOD OF COILING Application October 11, 1937, Serial No. 168,371

4 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for coiling metal strip and more particularly to that class of coilers known as tight coilers. Tight coilers are characterized by the fact that the strip 5 is wound upona drum, and that the drum is driven, whereas in a loose coiler, the strip is merely led into a more or less circular enclosure and is wound upon itself without the use of a drum.

l Specifically, my invention relates to a tight coiler which I have found exceedingly useful in the coiling of strip as it comes from a galvanizing treatment. During my experimentation, several difliculties were encountered and my in- 15 vention comprises, among other things, the overcoming of such difliculties.

It is of paramount importance that coiled galvanized strip be flat transversely, i. e., free of crown or cross-bow. It is one of the objects of go my invention to provide a coiler which will coil such strip and at the sametime will neutralize any crown or cross-bow which may have been imparted to the strip during the course of its treatment or by its passage about certain rolls.

: In view of the fact that this coiler is de-- signed to be used for coiling galvanized strip or the like, and in view of the fact that such galvanizing treatment is usually continuous on strip, it is an object of my invention to provide 30 a coiler having means whereby any slack which accumulates during a change of coils maybe rapidly taken up.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a coiler having the advantages above pointed us-rout which will provide extreme ease in threading so that as soon as one coil is finished, the leading end of a second strip may be threaded into the coiler during the time that the galvanizing or other treatment is progressing cono tlnuously and whereby the slack whichhas accumulated during the threading operation is rapidly taken up and whereby tension is exerted upon the strip as it is being coiled.

These and other objects of my invention, I L5 accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts, and by that process of which I shall now describe an exemplary embodiment.

Reference is now made to the drawing forming a part hereof and in which i0 Figure 1 is a more or less diagrammatic representation of my coiler with parts in section showing the coiler in threading position.

Figure 2 is a viewsimilar to Figure 1 showing the coiler in coiling position. i5 Briefly, in the practice of my invention, I provide at one end a guide block I, containing a pair of side guide members 2. At the other end, I provide a coiler drum 3, rotatable about a shaft 4 and if desired, provided with an expansible slot 5. I shall not describe the drum further 3 inasmuch as drums of this type are well known in the art. I have indicated at 6 a'brake roll and at I a wringer roll, co-acting therewith. The roll 'Imay be provided with a crank to assist in threading the strip and is spring-pressed 10 against the brake .roll 6. A indicates generally a slack-accumulating device consisting of a pair of bull wheel gears 8, mounted for rotation on hubs 9. Journaled in the gears 8 are a pair of rolls I0 and II, both of which'are preferablyl5 provided with braking means diagrammatically indicated at Illa and Ila. The rollers lflfand II are spaced apart a small distance so that they do not touch and I have found that a space of of an inch proves quite satisfactory. 2o,

Mounted on a shaft I2, parallel to the axis of the-gears 8, are the pinions l3 positioned to mesh with the gears 8. Rotation may be imparted to the shaft l2 by means of a sprocket l4 and chain l5 from any suitable source of power. It is to be understood that the driving means form no part of my invention and that the important point is that some means be provided for rotating the assembly comprising the members 8, l0 and H to alter the position of the two rollers. It would be possible to provide discs instead of the gears 8 and apply driving means directly to the hubs 9.

The operation of my device is as follows: The strip 16 as shown in Figure 1, is passed through '35 the guide block I and through the bite between theroll B and wringer roll 1. A crank may be provided as above pointed out for turning the roll I to feed the strip forwardly through the space between the rolls l0 and Ii and into the slot 5 on 4 the drum 3. When the strip has been clamped in the drum 3, the gears 8 are rotated in the direction of the arrow through 180 by means of any suitable mechanism such as that indicated, whereby the position of the rolls Ill and I1 is re- 5' versed so that the roll II is. now at the top and the roll ID at the bottom, and whereby the strip [6, which heretofore passed to the coiler in a substantially straight path, is now caused to traverse a circuitous path which passes up under and partially around the roll 6, .around and under the roll H, and around andunder the roll ill to the coiling drum. It will be seen that the length of strip between the guide block I and the coiling drum 3 is considerably greater in Figure 2than in Figure 1, by at least the circumference of the roll I0 or i I whereby accumulated slack is quickly taken up.

Thus I have not only provided means for taking up slack, but have at the same time provided a device which is easy to thread.

It will be noted that when the device A is in coiling position as shown in Figure 2, the strip passes around the roll ID in one direction and onto the drum 3 in a reverse direction. This is an important phase of my invention. I have found that when strip was passed around a. roll it usually became bowed or crowned with the concave side of the strip toward the axis of the roll about which it passed, and I have found further that if the strip was caused to pass in a reverse direction about another roll, that the above mentioned crown or cross-bow was neutralized. Thus, while the strip in passing around the roll 6 acquires a partial crown with the concavity adjacent to the roll, this crown is effectively removed when the strip is coiled around roll II, which cycle is repeated when the strip is passed around the roll 10 and onto the coiler drum 3. If the strip were passed directly from the roll H onto the drum 3, the strip would not be flat and thus would not prove acceptable to purchasers.

It is to be understood that modifications may be made in my device without departing from the spirit of my invention, and that I do not intend to limit myself otherwise than as pointed out in the claims which follow.

Having now fully described my invention, what I -claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A tight coiler comprising a drum and a pair of rollers through which a strip is threaded in a substantially direct line in passing onto the drum and means for alterning the position of said pair of rollers for imparting to said strip a circuitous path, said drum being positioned with regard to said rollers in their altered position so that the strip passes onto said drum in a direction opposite to that in which it passes around the last of said pair of rollers in their altered position.

2. A tight coiler comprising a drum and a pair of rollers through which a strip is threaded in a substantially direct line in passing onto the drum and means for reversing the position of said pair of rollers for imparting to said strip a circuitous path, sa'id drum being positioned with regard to said rollers in their reversed position so that the strip passesonto said drum in a direction opposite to that in which it passes around the last of said pair of rollers in their reversed position.

3. That process of tight coiling metal which includes the steps of passing the metal onto the coiler drum, and immedeiiately before passing it onto the coiler drum, bending it in a direction opposite to that in which it passes onto the coiler drum about an arc of substantially the same radius of curvature as that of the coiler drum.

4. That process of tight coiling metal which includes the steps of passing the metal onto the coiler drum, and immediately before passing it onto the coiler drum, bending it in a direction opposite to that in which it passes onto the coiler drum about an arc of substantially the same radius of curvature as that of the coiler drum, and applying resistance to the metal being coiled.

JAMES E. ASHWORTH. 

